Redemption For All
by Don'tLetThemSeeYourBack
Summary: After the war, many students return to Hogwarts to try and pick up where they left off. No one is the same, and there are still enemies hidden. Draco Malfoy has no idea what he believes in, and is only certain that no one believes in him. Blaise is suddenly Slytherin King, the Golden Trio is now a fairly large group-all damaged. Who is it, though, that lurks in the shadows?
1. Seemingly Innocent Beginnings

**Author's Note/What you need to know: Hello all! I welcome my new, lovely readers, and I say apologies and hello to any possible old readers of mine. Something you should know about this fanfic, it's a sister fic to another story. No, you don't have to read that story at ALL to get this, because it's about two different people! The fic I'm referring to is an OC/George fic. The OC for that story is the big sister of the OC for this story. :) That's all! Now, what you need to know about this story: Everyone is in their seventh year, the year that DM, HP, RW, and HG skipped, gets to come back to redo it. Everyone could redo that year actually, but it was also optional to take a competency test, and continue on to the year after that. Ginny has done this, and Luna is up a year as well; so is my OC. So, everyone is in their seventh year this year, and this also means a double group of first years! This story is going to focus on EVERYONE, please know that. This is about how no one can walk away unchanged after the war, and how they heal, and deal with the scars that have been left to them. Hence the name! Here we go!**

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Chapter One: Just Getting Started

_**Draco's First Year. On The Hogwarts Express.**_

_It was going to be his very first day at Hogwarts, and Draco Malfoy just wanted peace and quiet. He'd managed to escape the dunces that followed him around because their parents were friends with his, and was currently relaxing in an empty compartment. The door slid open with a bang._

"_Oi!" Draco growled, "Get out of here, girl! This compartment's mine!"_

_She was a thin, tiny thing. She had light blond hair, and big blue eyes. She looked like the innocent type, but the girl only snorted before rolling her eyes._

"_Unless you have six arses, this entire compartment is not for **you**." The girl retorted, sliding the door shut loudly before plopping herself down across from him. Draco rose a thin, white blond eyebrow at her. Just who was this girl?_

"_Who are you anyway?" _

"_Last name's Knightley." She said on a yawn, reaching behind her to tighten her pony tail._

"_Knightley?" Draco frowned, "That doesn't sound familiar at all." Obviously, Draco was wondering if he was in the presence of a mudblood. Would certainly explain the lack of propriety, at least._

"_It's American." She stated boredly, rolling her eyes at him again. _

"_...but you're not American-sounding..."_

"_Well, I can see who'll be getting A's in class, can't I?" She rolled her eyes **again** and Draco puffed up in annoyance._

"_Well **I** am Draco Malfoy. Surely you've heard of me."_

"_No." Cam sniggered, "And with a name like that I'm sure I would have remembered!"_

"_What's that supposed to mean?!"_

"_Nothing, nothing! Honestly! You're so boring." Cam stated bluntly, frowning at the boy. Draco was taken off guard because he was positive no one had ever spoken to him in such a way before._

"_Well..." He fumbled for a moment before regaining character, "What house do you want to be in then?" Draco smirked when the girl's eyes light up with excitement. He wasn't so boring after all!_

"_I want to be in Gryffindor!" She exclaimed, scowling when Draco scoffed. "What house do you want, then?"_

"_Slytherin." Draco revealed proudly, even sitting up a little straighter. When Cam scowled even deeper, Draco scowled back, ready to defend his house. "My entire family has been in Slytherin!"_

"_That so?" Cam challenged back, looking at her nails casually. _

"_Anyone that matters, anyway." Draco admitted, knowing there were a few unmentionables in his family tree...not that she needed to know, anyway._

"_So you want to be in Slytherin because of your family... Hmmm, that's very loyal."_

"_Yes, it is!" Draco smirked, crossing his arms. He was pleased the girl was finally seeing reason. _

"_Very loyal to your family, then?"_

"_Yes!"_

"_EXTREMELY loyal...?"_

"_Extremely so!" Draco sniffed, starting to become irked. His hands clenched into fists when the girl began to laugh._

"_Loyalty! Doesn't that make you a Hufflepuff?! Ha ha!" Cam literally doubled over onto her side when she heard Draco gasp._

"_It does not!" Draco gasped loudly, completely horrified that she'd gotten the better of him, "Shut it!" _

_Cam finally calmed down, and stood up. Giving a happy sigh, she wiped away the tears that had come from laughing so hard. _

"_Listen, this was somewhat fun, but I'm going to go find something interesting to do now." Opening the compartment door, Draco stood up immediately._

"_You don't get away with that so easily!" He gripped onto her wrist childishly, giving it a good hard tug. He had only meant to stop her, but the outcome was much worse. _

_Cam grabbed onto his wrist, squeezing it so hard Draco let out a gasp before finally relinquishing his hold on her. Cam then twisted his arm painfully. Crying out, Draco turned away from her in an attempt to untwist the arm himself. That gave Cam the advantage. Pulling his arm up behind his back hard, she shoved Draco against the compartment window._

"_When my father hear's of this ommphhh!" Draco's words were muffled and smushed against the glass._

_Cam fisted her hands into his blond hair, leaving Draco even more horrified because it was going to be messed up now. With the leverage of his hair, Cam moved Draco's face back and forth across the glass against his will. Effectively causing smears and fog to show up on the window. _

"_Tsk! You're not so boring after all, Princess!"_

"_Prin-shessh?" Draco tried to ask, still pressed against the glass. Cam only chuckled before releasing him. _

"_Don't touch me again." She said flatly, sounding much more serious than the average eleven year old._

_With that, the strange girl left the compartment. Draco rubbed at his nose, staring at the open door as if expecting her to come back. His hair was a mess, his arm hurt, his face was wet, and he was incredibly pissed, yet...intrigued? _

"_Certainly not." Draco corrected himself out loud, straightening up his robes, "I'm just pissed off. That crazy broad... Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll never see her again."_

_Draco didn't know it at the time, but he was destined to be very unlucky._

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**Present Time. Hogwarts Express. **

The Trio could no longer officially be seen as a Trio. At least for the moment, anyway. They had managed to fit seven people into one compartment, and for that, they were still extraordinary. Just don't say that to their faces.

On the left side, Ron sat in the middle between Hermione and Harry. Ginny sat comfortably on Harry's lap, and much to everyone's surprise, Ron seemed to not give a Merlin's saggy left butt cheek about it. Hermione, the poor thing, used her time by dividing it between glancing at Harry and Ginny wishfully, before stealing glances at Ron. Ron stared indifferently out the window, seeming as if he had better places to be than sitting with his best mates.

On the right side of the compartment was definitely a sight to see. Neville Longbottom was most certainly no longer the little "Why is it always me?" boy of his childhood. Neville Longbottom had lost all baby fat, and possibly even gained some muscle. He'd lost his buckteeth, thanks to having them knocked out by a Death Eater. Magical replacement teeth always had a knack for looking so much better than the original. There was something else lost in Neville, or rather, something gained. Neville had found confidence, and it worked wonders for him.

Luna Lovegood was a bit of a different tale, a tale that everyone was noticing, but no one was asking about. Something about Luna was different. Her eyes still held that far-off look, but the dotty atmosphere around her was gone. There was something there, but it was so faint no one could place a finger on it.

Cam Knightley is about as close to being normal as you'll get. Never really normal to begin with, she has remained relatively unchanged by the war. At least she doesn't seem to be any different, though she isn't really sure how she feels about that. The students still feared her, and some still hated her. She was still doomed to get at least one hundred detentions, if not more. Same old Cam... Including the black, cloth, fingerless glove she wore on her right hand that stretched all the way to her elbow. Yes, she _did_ seem completely the same, which was something she couldn't really figure out.

Her blond hair was still up in the usual pony tail, her yellow converse as dirty as ever. Poor posture, generally disinterested attitude. The only thing that told her she'd even experienced a war was the fact that she always found herself thinking about it—she wasn't sure why, and that was the most annoying part.

Everyone was already in their robes, and the conversation in the compartment was idle. In fact, their entire summer had been idle. Some adored it, some loathed it.

"Whose going to be the Potions master this year?" Inquired Hermione, grateful to finally change the subject away from Quidditch.

"Professor Slughorn, why wouldn't he be?" Cam asked, tucking her wand back up into her sleeve after growing bored with twirling it. Hermione remained quiet, and pretended Cam hadn't answered. A tradition between the two since the day they had met.

"Well, what about the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Neville inquired, running a hand through his shaggy black hair. This did gain everyone's attention. A Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher had never lasted more than a year, and this was finally the chance to see if one would stick.

"Dad said the school couldn't find one," Ron said, "Even the Ministry couldn't find someone interested. They're sending over an Auror every few classes to teach us spells, and such. For as long as they can, what with so many Death Eaters still on the run."

"Didn't he also say there isn't a Flying teacher, either?" Ginny question, wrapping an arm around Harry's shoulders. Harry responded by wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Seriously?" Cam asked, shocked, "So the first years are going to have wait to learn, and all of the other year's flying classes are canceled then?"

"Yeah, until someone willing steps up." Ron said grimly, scooting away from Hermione about half an inch when she leaned closer to him.

"Doesn't Headmistress McGonagall have an idea of who she can get? It's only flying." Hermione said, resting an arm on Ron's shoulder.

"How'm I supposed to know, Mione?" Ron shrugged her hand off before standing up completely, "I'm off to find the trolly."

With that, Ron left the compartment without a goodbye, leaving the door wide open.

"Has anyone noticed Ron's turned into an even bigger prat lately?" Cam asked without feeling, resting her hands behind her head.

Despite the fact it was her brother, Ginny giggled. She never coddled Ron, and would always tell him when he was out of line. She agreed with Cam. Hermione turned her nose up however, obliged to defend her newly appointed boyfriend.

"He's not a prat. He was probably just hungry." She crossed her arms, looking out the window. Even she couldn't deny Ron was being a bit off...at least she could deny it out loud. Or rather, in front of Cam.

"Come on, guys." Harry intervened with a strained, happy smile, "Let's not fight, yeah? This is going to be a nice, quiet year. Let's enjoy it." Harry smiled at them all, and they nodded. The gang truly did feel that Harry was right. Even Cam relished the thought of a school year where the only trouble caused was from harmless fights, and the younger student's pranks.

As if on cue to ruin Harry's good mood, the sound of someone running out in the hallway could be heard in the compartment. Heavy panting, and then he was standing there in front of the open door. Hands on his knees, body slumped over– Draco Malfoy.

He glanced into the compartment and did a double-take. Surprise at first, and then his face took on a sober look. His eyes met Harry but the familiar flame of rivalry had gone dim, surprising the both of them. His eyes wondered to Hermione, and when Hermione instantly returned it with an angry glare, Draco immediately looked away. He and Luna shared an uncomfortable glance at each other, something secret laying between them. Then his eyes skipped over Neville, landing on Cam.

She couldn't describe what was there when she looked at him. His eyes had changed somehow and they had become unreadable. There was something new there, something surprising that she couldn't quite grasp. And something was gone. It was like looking into the eyes of a stranger, even when they still held the same stormy gray.

And then he started running again, and he was gone.

"What was that all about do you suppose?" Ginny asked, just as stumped as everyone else on what had just happened.

"Who cares?" Hermione spat viciously, looking, in Cam's opinion, as if someone had just whopped the hell out of a house elf.

"I do." Cam challenged immediately, mainly because it was Hermione. Mainly.

"It was a little odd..." Neville admitted, trailing off as if he were calculating something, "As a matter of fact, I heard a lot of strange things about Malfoy over the summer."

"_Really?" _Everyone else asked, looking at Neville curiously. Harry, Hermione, Cam, and Luna had spent the entire summer at the Burrow. It had been renovated after the war, and was even taller than before so it accommodated everyone. Neville was the only one that had gotten around much the past few months.

"Yeah, I heard loads of stuff," Neville nodded, sitting up straighter to recount everything he'd heard. "You know how there was the huge clean up? Not just on Hogwarts, but basically everywhere? People volunteering and using the wands to repair buildings and homes, and things? It was rumored that Malfoy was there. He wasn't in my volunteer group, but Seamus swears he saw him. Helping and everything."

"Really?" Harry asked, sounding astonished. "Well... I suppose that's good...but..."

"Good?" Scoffed Hermione uncharacteristically, "It sounds suspicious to me. We all know his father's in Askaban. He was probably just trying to keep himself out of Askaban." Hermione crossed her legs, suddenly looking extremely put off. Harry eyed her for a moment before giving up, deciding he didn't want to tread whatever storm Hermione had brewing at the moment.

"That can't be right though," Ginny reasoned, "His mother was excused for lying to Voldemort about Harry. And Draco was excused because he was under age when he received the dark mark, and because he was given it practically against his will to replace his father who was in Askaban at the time."

"It's all rubbish if you ask me," Snapped Hermione, looking as if she were talking to Cam, not about Malfoy.

"Careful Hermione," Cam rolled her eyes before popping a piece of Extra Bubble Pumpkin Bubble Gum into her mouth. She'd thought ahead, unlike Ron, and went to the trolly before sitting, "If you keep up that sunshine attitude you've got going there, we might all go blind from the sheer luminosity of it." She popped a bubble of gum before adding, "Or deaf. Hopefully."

"Oh, defending Malfoy then?" Hermione challenged, her anger only looking normal now that it was directed at Cam.

"Let me tell you–"

"I don't want to talk about Malfoy anymore." Luna interrupted Cam, causing a moment of silence. The silence was filled by the sound of the Express' breaks. "We're here anyway. Let's go on and start a new year. A good year." Luna suggested, offering everyone in the compartment a small smile.

"Luna's right everyone," Harry stood up with Ginny, holding her hand, "We're finally going to have a nice, quiet year. Let's enjoy."

Cam didn't stand up until most of the compartment had emptied. Neville stood at the doorway, waiting for her.

"Hey, Cam, how's your sister doing?" Neville inquired, offering the school's most-feared girl a kind smile.

"Oh, she's still in America." Cam said casually, "Working at a muggle newspaper..." Her sister had took off a few hours after Voldemort's death. She'd said goodbye to Cam, and hadn't been seen since. It had been really out of the blue, and honestly, she been upset at her sister a bit...or a lot. Still, the whole world didn't need to know that.

"Do...you know why she left? If you don't mind my asking, that is."

"I honestly don't." Cam shook her head, reaching behind her to tighten her pony tail. Cam did suspect it had to do with George Weasley, however. The two had been completely head over hills for each other, and were both too dimwitted to realize it. George hadn't been doing well ever since Fred's death...

"Save you a seat at the feast, yeah?" Neville offered brightly, knowing Cam was beginning to let the sadness creep up on her.

"Yeah, sure. Just stay away from the end. First years always cower in fear of me, or gossip about me and I'm not in the mood to worry about that load today." Neville chuckled at that, finally moving from the doorway.

They both entered the hallway to find a massive traffic jam of students. They shared a curious look before Neville let Cam in front of him, being smart.

"Outta the way! Move yer arses!" Cam shouted as some recognized her, and did move, Neville trailed behind her.

Astoria Greengrass glanced behind herself to spot Cam, roll her eyes, and not budge.

"Oh look, Astoria! You've got something on the back of your robes, just here!" Cam exclaimed, touching the center of Astoria's back. Astoria turned, as if it were possible to even see the spot Cam was pointing out. Cam clutched on Astoria's shoulder, spun her around completely before tossing her off to the side into a group of students.

"Arses! Move'em!" Cam shouted again, finally making it to the front, Neville beside her. She spotted Draco Malfoy on the floor, and furrowed her brows in confusion.

"No need to worry!" Shouted a man Cam immediately recognized. Her stance stiffened and she glared at Blaise, watching as he pulled Draco to his feet. He let a hand rest on his shoulder, and Draco tensed. "Bloke just fell is all!" He smiled brightly, helping Draco off the train with a less-than-light shove.

People started to shuffle again, and Blaise glanced up at Cam as if he'd been waiting for her the whole time. He smirked, and goosebumps rose on her arms.

Cam had a horrible feeling that even with Voldemort gone, this was not going to be a quiet, good year.

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**Author's Note: Finally the first chapter is up! This COULD be seen as a slow chapter, but I really wanted to write it this way so you'd get a chance to have a first impression of Cam, and all of the other characters. Or rather, how I'm portraying the characters changed after the war. Some of the changes will not be obvious for now. This is going to be an intricate, and complicated story. (Or at least I think so!) Trust me all, I have so much crap planned for these people I almost feel bad! It's gonna get crrrrazy at Hogwarts!...Again! I also did a bit of hinting at some of the changes/problems. Also a foreshadow, just a little one. Or two? Either way! Please tell me what you think! :) I'm finally feeling well enough in a recent string of health problems to finally get back into my writing! I can only hope that some people are intrigued, and will be interested in what I have in store!**


	2. Breakfast Battlefield

_**Author's Note: Hi all! I just wanted to thank everyone that gave a review once again. :) It meant a lot! I try to respond to all of my reviewers, but I was unable to respond to Paige Malfoy because it wasn't a real account. Paige, if you're reading this chapter, to answer your questions: this story does take place after the war, the synopsis states so, and it's also dribbled about in the first chapter in a spot or two. The story is about how everyone is changed after the war. :) Cam's nickname is Cam, and her last name is Knightly. When she introduced herself to Draco in the flashback, she said her last name was Knightly, and never told him her real first name. Hope that helps you out with the story! :) I hope you enjoy this chapter as well, Paige!  
**_

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_Chapter Two: Crying Over Spilled Juice_

_**Second Year. Colin Creevey has been petrified. **_

"_I'm going to gut you like a fish, and send the remains to your pansy-ass father." _

_The insult was low and growling, and Draco recognized it right away. Trying not to look scared, he turned around on his heel and looked at Cam with a smug expression. _

"_What are you even talking about, _**girl**_?" He hardly ever used her nickname, and mostly preferred calling her girl, or woman. She hated it, and that's what made him love it. _

_This earned him a shove hard enough to slam his back against the wall. Now Draco regretted not forcing Crab and Goyle to get detention too. He was in the hallway alone with a girl that was known to be more violent then her older sister, a girl that was keen on teasing and hurting him. A lot._

"_Colin Creevey has been petrified! There's no way you didn't know." Her gaze was sharp and unusually focused, she looked downright pissed._

"_Who?" His face contorted into frustration and annoyance, "I've never heard that name, you must be talking about a mudblood. Upset over a filthy little mudblood, eh?" His smirk disappeared as she whacked him across the head. _

"_Oh, gross!" Cam groaned, glaring at her hand before wiping it on the front of his robes, "Seriously, do you drown yourself in hair gel every morning? It looks like a second scalp the way you have it combed back. People will think you don't shower." _

"_What?!" Draco gasped, his hands going up to his hair to make sure it hadn't been mussed too much. He scowled at her insults, worrying even more now. It took almost forty minutes to get his hair proper, and she was making fun of it! "Come all the way to this side of the castle to tell me you ogle my hair, then?" _

"_Please!" Cam scoffed, putting her hands on her hips, "I want you to tell me whose behind all of this "Heir of Slytherin" bull crap, because petrifying Colin Creevey was going too far." _

"_Who was petrified before him? A bloody cat?" Draco questioned defensively, "Two worthless things petrified, it's not the end of the damn world!"_

_Normally Cam loved a bit of back-and-forth arguing, so Draco was actually thrown off guard when she slapped him across the face. It was such a feminine thing to do, it felt uncharacteristic. Looking shocked, his hand on his cheek, his eyes wide, and his mouth open it was almost comical, but Cam was beyond banter. Draco could see now that was truly _**pissed**._ That was when he felt true fear._

"_If people don't think it's Potter then they go straight to me! I'm telling you right now, I don't know! I'm not the heir, I don't know anyone that is! I mean, if there were an heir, wouldn't any pureblood know about it?!" _

"_It's bullshit is what it is." Cam said, her voice thick with emotion, not sure who to yell at anymore.  
_

"_Look, it's only being petrified. I'm sure you're little boyfriend will be fine." Draco rolled his eyes at the thought of her crushing on some mudblood first year. He'd thought she'd had better taste...or did she have any, really?_

"_That is so gross!" Cam exclaimed, looking angry again, "He's like my little brother! And it's bullshit because he shouldn't be petrified! It's only been done to him because he's a muggleborn!"_

"_What does it matter, then?" Surprised Cam actually cared for anyone beyond her sister, he examined her curiously. She went to great lengths to look like she didn't care about anything, yet here she was obviously distraught over this Creevings chap._

"_You sicken me." She scoffed, "You're only saying that because of your father. You have no thoughts of your own."_

_Insulted, Draco didn't back down, "Well then it's a good thing your blood-traitor mother taught you differently! You'd never be able to handle being a _**real**_ pure blood."_

"_I'm nothing like my mother." Cam said quietly, her voice suddenly void of any emotion at all as she looked to Draco blankly, "She's worse than your father. Far worse. And she drilled pure blood beliefs into me as soon as I was out of the womb."_

"_Well..." This had tripped him up quite a bit as he'd always joked and somewhat believed that Cam had been raised by wolves... "Then why do you waste your time in Gryffindor?"_

"_Because I want to be happy." She replied without a need for any consideration. Without another word, Cam left him alone, speechless, and late for detention. _

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**Present Time. Second Day of Classes. The Great Hall.**

"Oh my Godric!"

"She's real!"

"Don't hurt me! I'm a Hufflepuff!"

A gaggle of first years ran into the Great Hall and bolted to their tables, hoping to blend in. Standing at the threshold, currently with every single eye on her, was Cam Knightley. Headmistress McGonagall rose an eyebrow toward the blonde, knowing her habits for violence and losing her temper.

"I turned the corner, they saw me, and lost it." Cam rose up her hands in defense, innocent for once, "I didn't touch them! _Annoying little buggers..._"

No one heard her last comment, and the steady hum of talking filled the Great Hall once again. Cam rolled her eyes as she sat down between Ron and Neville with most of the gang snickering at her.

"Nice show you put on, there." Ron chuckled before shoving an entire sausage into his mouth. Cam rolled her eyes, and gave him a strong clap on the back as he went to swallow. Ignoring his frantic coughs with a pleasant smile, she began to fill her plate.

Cam ate as much as if she were a Weasley male, but ate like a debutante snob. Hermione looked in disdain as Cam picked up her fork in preparation to devour her six sausages, three spoonfuls of eggs, two biscuits smothered in gravy, hash browns, and a side bowl of blue berry porridge. Deliberately, Cam smiled at her as she sliced a sausage in half, stabbed it with her fork, and delicately placed it into her mouth.

Harry watched their exchange looking uncharacteristically uncomfortable. Then he plastered on a smile, and changed the subject. "So, classes haven't been so bad. Only three of mine have homework so far."

It was a safe topic, and Neville quickly agreed.

"Yeah, so far I'm loving Herbology!" Her chirped happily, his familiar dorky smile coming into play. No matter how much he changed, that smile would never leave. It was a very endearing thing about him.

"Yes well, that's no surprise." Ginny smiled, rolling her eyes in a teasing manner.

"It's just a shame though," Neville added without much thought, buttering a piece of toast, "none of you guys signed up for the class. Well, except Cam."

Cam kept her eyes downcast for a moment, before lifting them to the ceiling. She remained silent until the lack of conversation drove her crazy. She was about to blurt out a rude comment about something, anything, to defuse the tension when Ginny spoke up again.

"Hey...Luna's looking awfully sad." Her brows furrowed and sat up a little straighter to get a better view of her at the Ravenclaw table.

In a not-so-subtle way everyone shifted to glance at Luna. It went unnoticed by the blonde girl, who was gazing down at her breakfast. It wasn't uncommon for Luna to gaze, but she never gazed _down_.

"Well, that _is_ weird." Harry said, frowning in worry.

"Weird for Luna." Cam added as everyone shared looks, wondering what could be wrong. "She did seem a little off this summer. But then again, everyone was..." _'Except me...'_ she thought to herself.

"No, that can't be it." Harry shook his head. He waved a hand in Cam's direction as if waving away her words like a bad smell. She rose her eyebrows at Harry who gave her little-to-no sass ever.

"Can't be what, Harry?" Ginny asked, equally puzzled by Harry.

"Well, Cam was implying that the war was what has Luna so down, right?" When Cam didn't say anything he went on, "I'm sure she's just got a stomach ache is all. She's probably feeling fine."

"But just a moment ago you acknowledged she looked like she was feeling down." Cam said, and Harry sighed.

"I'm sure she's fine."

"Harry," Hermione added in, a bit regretful to agree with Cam, "Her father _died_. How can she be–"

"Look," Harry cut her off, picking up his fork again, "Let's talk about something else. Something nice."

Just then loud laughter erupted from the Slytherin table causing most of the hall to turn in their direction. A group of boys continued to laugh and horse around as one of them cleaned the spilled juice with the flick of a wand. In the center of them all, the new alpha was Blaise Zabini. He looked just as smug this morning as he had the day of the train ride back, and it pissed Cam off.

"Blaise Zabini..." She muttered, slamming her fork down, "He's been walking around like he's hot shit in a champagne glass ever sense we've been here. It's only been three days, and already I want my first Saturday detention to be because I put his face in a flushing toilet."

Everyone could see her temper rising. Blaise and Cam had been at odds since first year when he'd slapped her hind end as she was climbing into the boat that took her to Hogwarts in first year.

"He's a git." Ginny agreed quickly, working on calming Cam down. At the beginning of the year everyone always tried to keep her out of trouble, but eventually gave up after a month. Cam continued to glare at him, her plate of food already magically emptied.

"I'll bet he's got a really tiny di–"

"OKAY!" Neville interrupted quickly, an amused smile on his face as he placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort, "I think you've reached your quota for cussing at breakfast."

Cam stayed silent for a moment before sighing dramatically. Casually shrugging off his hand, she put her elbow on the table, and propped her head up with her hand. Normally she'd continue ranting, but granted Neville's request.

About half the students were already gone, as were most of the teachers, but the Gryffindor gang stayed put. None of them had a class for at least another hour.

Ron glanced up at Hermione from across the table, and set his fork down.

"Er, Hermione? Can I talk to you out in the hallway for a second?" He didn't wait for an answer, and left the table without another word. Hermione followed, and because it was the two people Cam was the least inclined to like, she didn't pay much attention to it.

"Hm, that's odd..." Neville mentioned thoughtfully, looking back at the Slytherin table. "Malfoy's sitting by himself."

Harry and Ginny both turned to look, and indeed it was the truth. Malfoy wasn't far from the main group, but where he sat, everyone else had avoided.

"Is it much of a surprise?" Ginny asked, "His family played a huge part in Voldemort's alliance, and walked out at the last minute. Not to mention how many times Lucius failed, and then Malfoy was such a chicken about everything. He's probably considered worse than we are in the eyes of his house."

"Ugh, Malfoy again?" Cam whined, picking up an orange, not because she was hungry, but out of boredom, "We need to keep talking about Malfoy as much as my name's actually Cam." She snorted, peeling a section of the rind off and biting into it like an apple.

"I agree," Harry added quickly, understanding Cam's sarcasm without a thought, "Why do we keep talking about such depressing things?"

Cam sent him a 'what the hell?' look, before eying him curiously. Wondering if the nargles Luna talked about all the time were really true, because something was certainly off about Harry...

She didn't get to dwell on that notion for very long. A loud crashing sound rang out so loud, it resounded throughout the entire Great Hall, and caused Cam, Harry, and Hermione to jump to their feet on instinct. More trouble from the Slytherin table, only much more worrisome than spilled juice. Food clattered to the floor, and the rest of the room could only see Draco Malfoy's back as he pressed Blaise to wall by the neck. The thing Cam saw however, was the satisfied smirk on Blaise's face.

Why couldn't it ever be a nice, quiet year?

* * *

**-)()()()()()()()()()()(-**

* * *

Standing just outside the Great Hall, yet far away enough for privacy, Hermione started to massage her temples. Every single fiber of her being told her to pull out her wand, and hex him. Give him jelly legs, make him barf slugs, turn his hair white, take away his voice, maybe stun him and lock him in a closet. She resisted, and instead feigned a headache. Somehow it kept the tears at bay as she glared at him.

"You're a coward, Ronald." She accused angrily, her voice seething. She thought of her entire summer, and knew she'd wasted it on him.

"Hermione..." Ron sighed awkwardly, obviously not having a clue how to handle the situation. His mother may have been a drama queen, but he'd never had to break up with his mother. He only had one sister, and it wasn't like he'd spent his time playing girly things with her. Girls were not his area of expertise. "Things are so different now..."

"Yes! I guess they are, aren't they, Ronald?"

"C'mon Mione, you're not being fair."

"_I'm_ not being fair?! And I suppose it's _you_ that is so noble! Snogging all summer and then deciding now at school that things are complicated! Don't act like you aren't as readable as the Daily Prophet!" Hermione was livid and when Ron said nothing, she continued, "We both know what this is! You were always so down on yourself! And now! Now the war's over, and you feel as big and tall as you've ever wanted to be! And finally girls look twice at you because they're interested, not because they want to laugh!" Covering her face with her hands, she turned away, unable to look at him.

"...Mione..."

"Just go away, Ron!" After that, things remained silent, and she knew he had left. He didn't have the capacity to care enough that she was upset, he didn't know how to fix it anyway, so he'd retreated at the first option. Somehow, it only made her feel more defeated.

* * *

**-)()()()()()()()()()(-  
**

* * *

The common room had been hell, his roommates had been hell, his sleep had been hell, and now his breakfast was hell. Stabbing at his eggs, he kept his head down despite the fact he could feel hundreds of eyes on him. All those naive years envying Potter for his fame, and now he finally understood; it was maddening! The worst part of it all was that despite the fact everyone seemed to keep their distance from him, there was _one_ that was still up his arse more than ever.

Pansy Parkinson.

Stabbing the same portion of eggs repeatedly, he stared up at Pansy as she continued to talk. She'd always been annoying, the poor girl. Draco knew she couldn't help it and it had rarely bothered him before. She'd always doted him, and that was why he'd always kept her around. She was an utter pushover and admittedly he'd once honestly thought it was the only good point about her. Now that he had no one else to talk to, no one else to use so he could completely ignore her altogether, he was ready to stop stabbing his eggs and start stabbing at his own face.

Running a hand through his light blond locks, he wistfully gazed at the door. How he longed to escape from this she-dog. Go somewhere her nose wouldn't sniff him out. Draco had been confused all summer, and for the most part, alone. His mother hadn't been handling things so well, so Draco had suggested she spend awhile at the house they kept in France. Draco had stayed at the manor purely because it was Malfoy-owned and he couldn't shake off that duty no matter how much he longed to. He'd been mostly alone at home and had secretly longed for someone to talk to... Pansy was simply too much to deal with, however.

Except for dirty glares and harsh words, his "friends" had abandoned him. For the first summer month, Draco had remained numb. Now, putting all of his usual rubbish aside, he was completely, utterly confused. One moment he could be overcome with grief, and then next he wouldn't know what to do. He rarely knew what to do. He had had to go to Diagon Alley daily because he'd learned quickly that he had absolutely no idea how to cook. The House Elves were gone, everyone was gone. He'd done his best not to think about it, but he couldn't shake off a nagging feeling that he should do better...that he should be better.

"Draco..." Pansy voice was tight and angry. It broke through the twisted, mangled, messy wad of his thoughts and forced him to look at her. "You haven't heard anything I've said to you. You haven't been listening at all! You should really be more thankful-everyone hates you, but I'm still here."

The thought of being better all but drifted out of his skull as Draco looked at Pansy. It was like a rock slammed into his chest. Embarrassed, he snapped.

"Pansy," Draco smiled, completely friendly, "_Fuck off._" With that, he left Pansy sitting there with her mouth hanging open. A newly familiar emotion of regret flooded over him but he pushed it away and tried to grab at the small piece of who he used to be. It was all he had to hang on to, after all. Desperate to escape everyone in the Great Hall, he made his way for the doors.

"Oy, Malfoy!"

Stopping dead in his tracks, Draco inhaled and wished he'd kept walking. He recognized that voice without even thinking about it. Draco reluctantly turned around to face Blaise Zabini. Blaise had been somewhat a friend to Draco all his life, but everything was different. Now Blaise seemed to be set on making him absolutely miserable.

"Heard you spent time volunteering after the war. I think it's great you just went full-ninny instead of half-assing it like you always used to." Apparently this was what Blaise deemed clever, but it was near the same level of lame Draco had managed to achieve in his earlier years at Hogwarts.

Standing around Blaise was a random gang of Slytherin, and one person who was not so random. It was Goyle, and Draco had to admit that it stung a little. Goyle avoided eye contact and Draco decided it was best to do the same.

"Yes, well, you're such a great Slytherin-esque role model, I decided to ninny myself up to your level there, Blaise old chap." Draco was beginning to realize that sarcastic quips really only felt good when you had two or more goons standing behind you to back you up.

"Perhaps that would actually mean something to me if you didn't spend your free time cooped up in your _bed_ like a little girl." This earned Blaise some snickers from his new posse, and Draco could only stand there.

It wasn't that he _hid_ in his bed, it was that the common was no longer a place he cared to spend time in. He thought about spending more time outside, but hadn't quite figured out a place to go where he wouldn't be bothered. After all, he wasn't the most popular guy in school, and without his house, he was alone. It was just hard to be alone in a castle full of people that merely stared at you or made fun of you.

"It's been lovely chatting with you, but I think I'll go now." With that Draco turned, allowing his pride to officially bite the dust.

"Actually, Draco, I was just curious about something..."

His spine tensed, and while he somewhat knew it'd be a good idea to ignore him and keep going, he didn't think he had a choice. Turning around in defeat, his eyes rose up to Blaise's without much interest. Another sodding comment? A poorly-worded insult? Ob goody...

"Is it true your mother was admitted to St. Mungo's after your father was sentenced to Azkaban?"

Draco's jaw immediately tensed, but he remained silent. The question itself appeared innocent, even the look on Blaise's face was more innocent than usual—he didn't trust it one bit, the snake.

"She merely went for a check up." His words were strained between his teeth, heat bombarding its way up his neck.

"Right."

"Of course, _right._"

Blaise stepped forward, he and Draco almost the same height. Gaze steady, demeanor calm, he lowered his voice only so Draco could here.

"I do hope you're not loony as well. Better to be about your wits, else you end up like your father—pathetic. Where is your mother, Draco? Not at the manor, that's for sure. Hiding her? Hiding her like the filthy mud bloods hid?"

It was enough to break him, make him snap. He threw the punch before Blaise could respond, the uproar began immediately. Blaise shoved one of his approaching goons against the table, clattering food to the floor as he stepped forward. He grabbed for Draco's robes but Draco grabbed for Blaise's throat. Overpowering him, Draco slammed Blaise against the wall.

Breathing heavily, he briefly envisioned a nasty curse or two despite the fact he'd sworn off of them. However, Blaise merely met his eye again, smirking this time. Thrown off guard, Draco pulled back slightly, gaining his head again.

"Mr. Malfoy." Headmistress McGonagall's voice was as stern as ever. Draco winced at the sound, pulling away completely and looking towards her with regret. Great. Would he be expelled. "I don't pretend to think this was just some random outburst. Fifty points from Slytherin each."

Blaise looked visibly annoyed, but showed nothing. "However, Mr. Malfoy, detention—violence is not permitted."

"Yes, er...Professor." She didn't reprimand him so he assumed she was okay being called that, still. He really hoped she didn't hate him as well.

As Draco remained still, Blaise and his gang returned to the other end of the table. McGonagall watched him with an almost knowing eye, so much so he shifted his weight uncomfortably.

"Mr. Malfoy, should you need to tell me anything, anything at all, you know where my office is." Visibly pausing, she seemed to be internally debating for a moment before she pushed onward, "Help will always be given to those who ask for it."

"Yes...Professor." He didn't plan to run crying to her any time soon, but the unfamiliar warmth that formed from her words.

Not keen to stick around and let all eyes be on him any longer, Draco retreated toward the exit, unaware of a certain wounded lioness still in the hallway.


End file.
